1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to method and system for detailed accounting of packet data, more particularly, a method and system for detailed accounting of packet data for use of mobile data services.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Recently, it is possible to transceive a voice signal and a high-speed data in a mobile terminal due to wireless communication technology such as code division multiple access (CDMA).
A user can receive data via a packet network, and a mobile communication service provider generates billing data at every time of using a packet network (use of mobile data services) for service charges and manages generated billing data. Total service charges corresponding to each data service use and voice service use are calculated by aggregating the generated billing data at a predetermined period of time (e.g., monthly).
Thus, to make a reliable service charge to a user, the mobile communication service is presenting ways for guaranteeing the transparency of service charges.
The following is a conventional method of generating billing data for use of mobile data services.
First, in order to receive a content data from a content server, a user sends a data request to a packet data serving node (PDSN) where the mobile terminal accesses.
The PDSN sends the data request to one of proxy servers corresponding to the service platform of the mobile terminal (e.g., binary runtime environment for wireless (BREW), mobile explorer (ME), KTF unified navigator (KUN), wireless Internet platform for interoperability (WIPI) and video on demand (VOD), etc,.). In sending the data request to the proxy server, a billing apparatus calculates a network usage charge corresponding to the data request.
The proxy server sends the data request to a corresponding content server and receives content data from the content server and transmits it to the PDSN. Also, the billing apparatus calculates a content usage charge and network usage charge in this process.
The PDSN sends received content data to the mobile terminal, and the billing apparatus sums up the network usage charges and/or content usage charges to generate a combined billing data or to perform a billing process.
In the conventional method of generating billing data as described above, the billing apparatus generates the billing data at every time of transmitting a packet data (e.g., data request, content data) between the PDSN and the proxy server.
Namely, when a user requests content transmission to the content server by a hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP) protocol via a wired/wireless Internet and/or other network, the billing for the content transmission (i.e., network usage charges, content usage charges) is performed before checking whether or not the mobile terminal receives requested content data.
This method of generating billing data is based on the assumption that the network and the content server operate in an ideal communication environment. Thus, instability of the network and malfunction of the content server can cause billing errors.
That is, since the conventional method generates billing data by analyzing a TCP/IP protocol only, it is impossible to generate billing data commensurate with the use history of mobile data services of a user. Furthermore, even if a HTTP protocol analysis is performed, it is also impossible to generate an accurate billing data because the conventional method generates billing data based on an assumption that there must exist a pair of HTTP request and HTTP response, i.e., transaction.
Also, the conventional method generates billing data, even if the user does not receive any data (e.g., communication error, data absence, etc), only because there is a HTTP request.
Also, it is difficult to recognize the transaction by locating a network analyzer for a network packet between the mobile terminal and the proxy server in the conventional method.
Also, there is a problem that the conventional method generates an Internet protocol detail record (IPDR) based on the amount of used time and used packet for a whole data session when generating billing data such as an IPDR or call detail record (CDR)). Namely, an IPDR for individual services used in the same data session is not generated.
Also, there is another problem that the conventional method cannot generate an accurate IPDR when a repeated transaction, an unfinished transaction or unfinished session happens.